Devil's Advocate
by Gilari
Summary: M Allison Hart, attorney at law, has a conversation with her father.
1. Allison

M Allison Hart, attorney at law, kicked off her high shoes as she entered her apartment. With a deep sigh of relief, she threw her briefcase onto the kitchen counter, and let her glamour drop. It was such a strain on her powers to keep up the appearance of a human, it really drained her. Allison ran a hand through her dark purple hair, and went in search of some food. The fridge was mostly empty, except for a withered stick of celery.

"Takeout it is," she muttered to herself, picking up the phone. Thankfully Mr. Wong's delivered.

She was just changing out of her restricting business clothes and into something more flannel when the phone rang again. Tying her robe over her gracefully folded wings, she answered.

"Hello?"

_"Hello Pumpkin. How are you?" _

"Daddy!" Allison plopped down onto her couch, curling her bare feet up under her. "How are you?"

_"I'd be better if my little girl would come and work for me,"_ was the reply.

Allison rolled her eyes.

"Dad, we've already had this discussion..."

_"I know, I know. But I just think if you came to work at Wolfram and Hart…" _

"I don't want to work for a company just because my father is a Senior Partner!" Allison argued. "I want to earn my way in the world."

"_I know you're independent, Pumpkin, but think of what you could do if you worked for us." _

Allison sighed.

"Daddy, can we not talk about this?" Her father had been after her for years now to work for his inter-dimensional law firm. The problem was, spending most of her childhood in another dimension had made Allison thirsty to experience this one.

"_Alright, Allie,"_ Mr. Hart said. _"I just wanted to call and check up on you. Is everything alright? Your aura was a little cloudy." _

"I'm dealing with a lot of things right now," Allison said.

"_Allie… you know you can't lie to me." _

Allison silently cursed her father's ability to read her aura so well. She might as well just give in and tell him.

"You remember my client, Mr. Bell?"

"_Yes." _

"Well, he's dead. One of his men double-crossed him."

_"That's too bad, sweetie." _

"Yeah, it's annoying. That's not the trouble, though."

_"Oh?"_ Mr. Hart sounded intrigued.

"It's Agent Gibbs."

_"Would you like me to have him killed?"_ her father asked, sympathetically.

Reluctantly, Allison shook her head.

"No, Dad, but thanks. I think… I think I want to help him."

_"Allie…" _

"I know, Dad, I know. But I'm only half-demon. I don't need to be evil all the time, do I?"

_"Of course not, Pumpkin. But I thought you wanted to be." _

"Maybe I do," said Allison with a sigh. "But Gibbs has really gotten himself into trouble, and I've come to respect him over the past few months. Do you think Wolfram and Hart could get him out of it?"

_"We can do almost anything,"_ said Mr. Hart. _"But you know nothing here comes free." _

"I know. Can I send you his file?"

_"I'll review it,"_ her father promised. _"In return, can I ask for your professional advice?" _

"Sure," Allison said, surprised. It wasn't often her demon father, senior partner to a pan dimensional, international law firm asked for her advice in legal matters.

_"We have a slight problem here at the LA branch of the Firm. A certain vampire with a soul named Angel." _

"Angel," Allison let the name roll around in her mouth. "Haven't you had problems with him before?"

_"Numerous ones. There's an interesting prophesy concerning him. His side in the battle to come is yet undecided." _

"I see," said Allison.

_"As you can imagine, we would like him on our side. Do you have any suggestions?" _

Allison stretched out her legs, and tapped her taloned foot on the coffee table.

"Have you tried coming at him head on?" she asked.

_"Naturally,"_ said Mr. Hart. _"We've tried wooing him, we've tried undermining him, nothing works. He deflects everything we throw at him. It's those meddling Higher Powers! They keep giving him hope to carry on, and all that claptrap." _

Allison considered this for a moment.

"Ok, so you can't get him through the direct approach. Have you tried going at him sideways?"

_"How so?"_ Mr. Hart asked, sounding intrigued.

Allison sat forward, warming to her subject.

"You should do something he doesn't expect. Throw him off. You can't pin him with anything directly, so what about something small, like tax evasion? He's a vampire, I'm sure he hasn't paid taxes in a long time, which is alright if you're living in an alleyway, but not when you own your own business. Or what about property violations? He owns a big hotel now, doesn't he?"

There was complete silence on the other end of the line.

"Dad?" Allison asked hesitantly.

_"I'm still here, Allie. I'm just… I have a brilliant, adaptable daughter. It must be the human in you that lets you think of these innovative ways of looking at things." _

Allison beamed. Being a demon, her father didn't often praise her human side.

_"I think your suggestions warrant very serious consideration,"_ her father continued. _"I'll discuss them with the other Senior Partners. You're turning out to be quite a lawyer, Pumpkin. I'm very proud of you. You would make such a fine addition to Wolfram and Hart."_ His voice was wistful.

Allison ignored this latest jibe. It wasn't an argument she wanted to get into again.

"You could get Lilah to do it. She still works in the LA branch, doesn't she?" Allison said, thinking of her sharp tongued, ambitious sometimes-friend, sometimes-rival from law school. "She's just scheming enough to pull something like this off."

_"I don't think she'd suit,"_ Mr. Hart said after a moment. _"The other Senior Partners aren't best pleased with Ms. Morgan right at the moment." _

His gentle tone conveyed just the right amount of menace behind his words. Allison shuddered. To anger the Senior Partners was akin to a death sentence.

_"It's alright,"_ said Mr. Hart, his voice brightening. _"I'll give it to Gavin Park. Now about your Agent Gibbs – should I prepare a standard immortal-soul contract for him?" _

Allison smiled in spite of herself.

_Author's Note: Allison Hart. Wolfram and Hart. That was too much of a coincidence to pass up! In fact, I read somewhere that one of the writers on NCIS is a fan of Angel, and gave our favorite scary lawyer that name on purpose. And here I was thinking I had made an original connection! Ah well. It just makes so much sense to have M Allison Hart as the daughter of one of the Senior Partners. _

_This is set after season 7 of NCIS, and between seasons 3 and 4 of Angel. _

_Woo Hoo! First crossover! The first of many, I hope. _


	2. Gibbs

Gibbs glanced around the interior of the glass-and-steel building. It was impressive. These LA firms sure were flashy. He leaned casually against the secretary's desk.

"I'm here to see Holland Manners?"

The secretary smiled up at him, reminding him nothing so much as honey-covered steel trap.

"Do you have an appointment?"

"2:00. Special Agent Gibbs."

The secretary typed a few words, peering at her computer screen.

"Ah yes. Please take a seat, Agent Gibbs. Mr. Manners will be with you shortly."

Gibbs slipped into one of the chairs, shifting uncomfortably. He wasn't sure if this was a good idea, but Allison Hart had seemed so sure that this would fix his problem, and he _did_ need help.

He was in a sticky place, that was for sure. He didn't regret killing that drug dealing scum. That wasn't it. That scum had killed Shannon and Kelly. He deserved to die. What Gibbs _did _regret was jeopardizing the career he loved and had worked so hard to build up. His team was like his family, and he hated to let them down. Allison was offering him a way out, a way to make it all go away, and all he had to do was come see Holland Manners, Wolfram and Hart, LA branch.

The secretary's sweet voice cut through Gibbs' thoughts.

"Agent Gibbs? You can go in now."

Gibbs surged to his feet, following where she indicated down a tastefully decorated hallway, and through a set of wide office doors.

The office was huge, one wall entirely made of windows looking out on a spectacular LA landscape. At the far end was a massive oak desk, with tidy stacks of papers on its surface. Behind it sat a balding man in an expensive suit who looked up when the door opened.

"Agent Gibbs is it?" he asked with a wide smile, standing to shake Gibbs' hand. "Come in, come in."

"Thank you for seeing me, Mr. Manners," said Gibbs politely.

"When one of the Senior Partners asks us to jump, we ask how high," Manners said mildly. "You have friends in high places, Agent Gibbs. Higher than you know." His voice was still pleasant, but his eyes had a haunted quality.

Gibbs was suddenly very uncomfortable.

"I was told you could help me," he said, desperate to break the moment.

Holland Manners snapped back to the task at hand.

"Of course. We can help anyone. I've reviewed your file and I believe that Wolfram and Hart can take care of your little problem."

Gibbs nodded.

"I'm glad to hear that."

"Of course," continued Manners, with a glint in his eye, "Everything comes with a price."

"I have some money saved," Gibbs assured Manners. He had expected this. High end law firms came with high end prices. "Quite a lot of money, actually."

Manners shook his head.

"We're not interested in your money, Agent Gibbs. We at Wolfram and Hart deal in more … abstract… things."

Gibbs frowned. Why did it feel like he was being played?

"What are you getting at?" He growled. "Be straight with me."

Manners gave Gibbs his most unassuming smile.

"Alright, Agent Gibbs, as you wish. What you're asking us to do is make a murder charge go away. A murder that you are most certainly guilty of. While that is well within our power to do, Wolfram and Hart being a full-service law firm, there is something we're much more interested in than your money. Tell me, Agent Gibbs, what is this charge work to you? What are you willing to give to make it go away?"

Manners' eyes glittered menacingly in his unassuming face. Gibbs was now very uncomfortable indeed.

"I won't do anything illegal," he said. "I'm an officer of the law."

"And yet you killed a man," commented Manners pointedly.

Gibbs scowled darkly.

"He killed my wife and child," he growled.

Manners held up his hand.

"I'm not here to judge you, Agent Gibbs, and I'm not there to antagonize you. But the fact remains that you can't get something for nothing."

"What do you want, if not my money?"

Manners' smile became very large.

"Let's just say, we scratch your back and some day you scratch ours? Wolfram and Hart likes to have friends in every branch of the government, including the Navy. Our last representative met an unfortunate end, and we're looking for a replacement. We were most sorry to hear about Ms. Lee's death."

Gibbs became very still.

"She was a lovely girl," said Manners sadly. "And she loved her daughter very much."

"I won't do anything illegal," repeated Gibbs. "I won't betray anybody."

"What do you value more, Agent Gibbs," asked Manners. "Your integrity or your reputation?"

Gibbs swallowed.

"You're asking me to sell my soul," he whispered.

"In a manner of speaking," agreed Manners with a touch of humour. "That's exactly what we're asking you to do."

Gibbs closed his eyes, trying to quiet his swirling thoughts. The murder he had committed so long ago was threatening to ruin his life, everything he had worked so hard for. And Wolfram and Hart was offering to make it go away, like it had never happened. But at what price? Had Allison known that he would be offered such a choice?

"Agent Gibbs?" broke in Manners' mild voice. "Would you like a moment to think about it?"

_Did_ he want a moment to think about it? Was he actually considering selling his soul to get out of this murder charge? What would this agreement with Wolfram and Hart force him to do?

Michelle Lee's face flashed through his mind, her eyes wide with fear and betrayal. She had made a deal with the devil, and paid the price for it. Would the same happen for him?

Gibbs opened his eyes.

"No, Mr. Manners, I don't think I need time to think about it."

Manners smiled beatifically. He picked up a pen, and signed a document with a flourish, and pushed it towards Gibbs.

"Sign here please, Agent Gibbs. I think this is the start of a wonderful partnership."

Gibbs stared down at the paper in front of him, the words blurred together on the page. Then, he smiled, shaking his head.

"It was nice meeting you, Mr. Manners," he said.

Then, he got up and walked out of the office.

* * *

Manners stared at the door as it closed. He shook his head with a rueful smile, and then picked up the phone and dialed.

"Good afternoon. This is Holland Manners."

_"Did he come?" _

"Yes, he came." Manners chuckled. "You were right. He's a stubborn man. But he wanted it straight, so I gave it to him straight."

_"And was I right?" _

"Yes, you were right. He refused the offer. I tried my best, but his integrity won out in the end. He asked if I _was asking him to sell his soul_." Manners chuckled.

"_I said no immortal-soul contracts!" _hissed the voice on the other end of the line.

Manners stopped laughing abruptly.

"I didn't actually have an immortal-soul contract, Ma'am. You asked me not to."

"_That's right, Mr. Manners, and I expect my orders to be obeyed to the letter. Agent Gibbs is a special case." _

"Yes, Ma'am," Manners swallowed convulsively.

The voice at the other end of the line sighed.

"_Please send the paperwork back to me."_

"I'll send it over right away, Ms. Hart."

A sly quality crept into Allison's voice.

"_Mr. Manners, would you be so kind as to inform my father of your failure to recruit Agent Gibbs?" _

Manners paled.

"Me, Ms. Hart?"

HHHis face drained of all colour. Allison Hart was indeed a force to be reckoned with.

_"I'm sure you're able to do so," _she said sweetly.

"Of course, Ms. Hart," whispered Manners, "I'll inform the Senior Partners."


End file.
